U.S. NUCLEAR TEAM VISITS SOUTH INDIA ATOMIC RESEARCH

UNCLAS CHENNAI 000097

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SENSITIVE

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STATE FOR EEB DAS DHENGEL, SGALLOLGLY, PHAYMOND
STATE PLEASE PASS TO NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
DOE FOR PDAS KFREDRIKSEN, SHANE JOHNSON, TCUTLER, GBISCONTI, EROSSI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG ECON PARM KNNP PGOV TRGY IN
SUBJECT: U.S. NUCLEAR TEAM VISITS SOUTH INDIA ATOMIC RESEARCH
FACIILTY


1. (SBU) Summary: A six-member delegation from the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) visited on March 3-4 the Indira Gandhi
Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR) near Chennai as part of a 10-day
visit to India that also included a stop in Mumbai to discuss
nuclear safety issues with counterparts at the Atomic Energy
Regulatory Board (AERB). The main purpose of the visit was to
discuss nuclear safety issues. At IGCAR, the team toured the 500 MW
fast breeder reactor currently under construction, as well as the 10
MW fast breeder test reactor and several research facilities. The
visit was a success, and the NRC delegation members were impressed
with the "culture of safety" they observed during their visit. End
summary.

NRC visits India
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2. (U) James Lyons, Director of Site and Environmental Reviews in
the NRC's Office of New Reactors, led the six-member delegation on
its trip to India. The delegation arrived in Mumbai on February 23
for discussions with its counterparts in India's Atomic Energy
Regulatory Board (AERB) to discuss issues related to nuclear safety.
The NRC delegation then traveled to South India to visit IGCAR on
March 3-4, located in Kalpakkam, 30 miles south of Chennai. A
Consulate Chennai pol/econ officer accompanied the delegation at
IGCAR.

Kalpakkam: Home of the Fast Breeder Reactor
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3. (SBU) The NRC delegation requested to visit IGCAR to observe
construction practices for the 500 MW "Prototype Fast Breeder
Reactor" (PFBR). The PFBR is based on the French-designed Phoenix
Reactor. The 10 MW "Fast Breeder Test Reactor" (FBTR) -- also
located at IGCAR -- is also supplying information helpful in the
design of the PFBR. (Note: Breeder reactors are designed to
produce more fissile material than they consume. End note.) The
PFBR will be able to make use of thorium, an element that exists in
India in much greater quantities than uranium.


4. (SBU) The GOI enterprise Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd. --
mercifully referred to simply as BHAVINI -- is in charge of building
the facility. The project's director, Prabhat Kumar, told the NRC
delegation that the USD 873 million project will be 34 percent
completed by the end of March, slightly behind the project's target
of 40 percent. The main cause for the delay, he said, was that the
large crane needed to lift the three layers of the reactor
containment vessel into the building is not functioning. He alleged
that the vendor had essentially cheated BHAVINI by providing a crane
that needed significant refurbishment. The vendor, he said, was
repairing the crane onsite, which had caused a four-month delay on
some aspects of construction. Kumar said that he may soon decide to
hire another crane, which he said was "already packed and sitting on
a dock in Hamburg, Germany" waiting for his call. He said that the
German crane could be installed and operational within 10 days of
its arrival at Kalpakkam.

NRC takes a look at other IGCAR facilities, also
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5. (SBU) IGCAR officials also gave the NRC delegation a tour of
several other facilities, including the 10 MW Fast Breeder Test
Reactor (often referred to as the Kamini reactor),a French design
in operation since 1985. One of the reactor's operators told us
that the Kamini reactor had been a great success, and provided a
great deal of data that had been useful in designing the much larger
FBR. The delegation also visited several IGCAR facilities that
research materials, designs, and the environmental impact of India's
nuclear program.

Comment
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6. (SBU) The NRC delegation was impressed by the "culture of safety"
it found at IGCAR. The group noted that it was especially
interesting to witness firsthand how the Indian nuclear
establishment had established safety protocols, designs, and
procedures on their own, since the program grew up with very little
contact or technology sharing with Western nuclear programs. The
NRC delegation was warmly received at all of its stops, and the
Indian researchers enthusiastically explained their projects to the
group. The visit, the first of its kind by a USG delegation in
several years, serves as an excellent example of the kind of
constructive, cooperative, mutually beneficial exchanges that could
become commonplace if the GOI allows the 123 initiative to move
forward. End comment.



7. (U) This message was coordinated with the NRC delegation and
Embassy New Delhi.

HOPPER